Pregnant Women: Decrease Your Miscarriage Risk
February 22, 2007
By Kimberly Beauchamp, ND
Healthnotes Newswire (February 22, 2007)—Certain factors are known to increase miscarriage risk but the importance of many other influences has been less certain. In a study published in the British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, new information sheds light on what factors affect the risk of miscarriage.
In order to help pregnant women and healthcare professionals better understand what might contribute to miscarriage risk, a research team from the United Kingdom interviewed over 6,000 women about their pregnancy histories. Some of the results were expected, while others were more surprising.
Factors that decreased miscarriage risk:
• Taking vitamins: Women who took vitamin preparations, particularly those containing iron and folic acid, had a 50% lower chance of miscarrying.
• Eating a healthful diet: Eating fresh fruits and vegetables every day helped decrease miscarriage risk, as did eating dairy products and chocolate.
• Better emotional well-being: Women who described themselves as being happy, relaxed, or in control had a 60% reduced risk of miscarriage.
• Nausea: Women who experienced nausea and morning sickness during their first trimester were almost 70% less likely to have a miscarriage.
• Having had a live birth: Women who previously gave birth to a live baby had a 40% lower chance of miscarriage.
• Feeling well enough to fly or have sex: Both sexual intercourse and air travel during the first trimester were associated with decreased risk of miscarriage.
Factors that increased miscarriage risk in the first trimester:
• Advanced maternal age: Women ages 35 to 39 had a 75% higher risk of miscarriage than did women ages 25 to 29. For women ages 40 and older, the risk was five times what it was in younger women.
• Not married or not living with a partner: The risk of miscarriage in this group was significantly greater than in women who lived with a partner.